Mixers are widely used for mixing a variety of both wet and dry products. There are mixers that are employed in continuous mixing systems and there are batch type mixers in which the products to be mixed are placed in the mixer and then agitated. There are numerous batch-type mixers known and used, many of which are designed to mix a specific type of product. Depending upon the type of product, these mixers employ a variety of agitators, paddles, scrapers, wipers, etc. that perform the mixing operation. In addition, there are drum-type mixers in which the drum is revolved while stationary baffles inside of the drum provide the necessary agitation to mix the product. A number of these drum-type mixers include a drum that is eccentrically mounted on an axis so that when the drum is rotated, the material will be moved from one end of the drum to the other as well as from top to bottom in a somewhat figure 8 pattern. An example of a mixer of this type is shown in Dorn U.S. Pat. No. 5,556,202 in which the shaft upon which the mixer revolves is eccentrically mounted relative to the axis of the drum and does not extend through the drum, the drum being mounted on a subframe that permits the drum to be tilted for ease of filing and unloading.
With the increasing number of applications for mixers that can effectively mix a variety of products, both wet and dry, and with user demands that mixers be easily cleaned in place, there is a need for an improved mixer that will effectively mix a variety of both wet and dry products, and one that is simple and relatively inexpensive while still being easy to clean.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a mixer of the eccentrically mounted drum-type which has improved mixing action for both wet and dry products and which can be easily cleaned in place.